Origins
by lilDBZbuddy89
Summary: When Vegeta is struck by a rare case of uncertainty in his ability to defeat Freeza, he comes up with a plan to ensure the tyrant is slain by royal Saiyan hands. Elsewhere a furious Bulma seeks revenge after being hurt one too many times.
1. Chapter 1

**Fanfiction: Vegeta and Bulma**

**Origins of a Saiyan Princess**

**Chapter 01 – Decision**

The round sphere shot through space at amazing speed, darting through the everlasting darkness to some unknown place. Light fell upon one side of its contoured shape, slowly fading as it passed by a nearby star, travelling along its orbit before breaking free of the gas ball's gravitational pull continuing through the vast reaches of space. It made no sound as it passed through the vacuum. Inside the round object sat a dormant being shrouded in darkness as it slept. Although asleep, his thoughts still ran through his dreams, his desires running riot in his mind. Freeza.

Freeza seemed to appear more and more in his dreams – nightmares – the man's facial expression changed from calm to frustration. That monster... That monster had held him captive for too long now; he, the Saiyan Prince, still had to take orders from him. He had little say in the matter; this was Freeza after all; a cold ruthless killer who'd send his soldiers to purge planets of their inhabitants... and the prince was one of them. He was a prince; the prince of the mighty Saiyan race! It had been his birthright, his destiny to be the strongest Saiyan warrior in the universe and he lived up to that title. There had never been a battle he hadn't won with relative ease; there'd never been a foe he couldn't outclass... apart from him. It infuriated him that someone of his calibre would have to take orders but he knew better. He knew what Freeza was capable of. The prince knew he was no match for his strength and that trying to take him out now would be suicidal. Plus he had his lackeys; Zarbon and Dodoria would have to be dealt with alongside Freeza; the prince couldn't even match up to their strength, let alone match Freeza. He was currently too weak to consider making a move, as much as it boiled his blood to admit it. He wasn't stupid; he knew he'd need to keep biding his time. There would be a way out of their grasp, he knew it. He knew he wouldn't be under their command for all his life; he would be the one to take matters into his own hands and defeat Freeza. The only thing was how was he going to do it?

The buttons in front of him began to flash as the pod's computer system began some processes. Something which looked like steam was released, quickly dispersing and fading away inside the confined pod. The man's eyes slowly opened. He could see the planet up ahead; he'd finally arrived back at base. Somewhere down below was the site the ship was die to make contact. It consisted of a small colony made up of many races living upon a rocky outcrop, strange tall buildings rose from the rocky terrain almost camouflaged against the backdrop. The original inhabitants were long gone, all but wiped out when the group of aliens now living upon the planet first arrived. That had been years ago and the planet bared few scars of the slaughter. Only the inhabitant's buildings remained, now being used as a base for the alien's work.

The pod finally crashed into the landing pad with a thump; the absorbent material taking the force of the ship and dramatically lessening the force of the impact and minimising any damage to both ship and combatant. Three soldiers emerged out from the building opposite the landing site, followed by another man who appeared to be in less of a rush. As the pod door opened the three soldiers stood to attention, standing silently as the prince emerged out of the pod wandering past them in a manner that suggested he wasn't bothered if they were there or he simply hadn't notice them. The fourth man – a man who seemed to be of the same race as the Prince due to his skin and tail wrapped around his waist in similar fashion to him - bowed down slightly as the Saiyan approached him, although he still towered over the short prince. "Welcome back Vegeta, how did it go?"

"Dismally boring as usual," the traveller responded. "You could have handled it by yourself if you'd been here, Nappa. Even Raditz would have been enough for the job!" He walked past the taller man and into the building, Nappa following him inside.

"Sorry we weren't here, Vegeta," Nappa apologised. It was not wise to agitate Vegeta too much; the Saiyan warrior was the strongest out of all the Saiyans who'd survived their planet's destruction around twenty years ago. He could easily overpower Nappa and Raditz and kill them both in the blink of an eye. Thankfully he seemed to have some sort of mutual respect for both his underlings, Nappa often serving as his right-hand man due to his background and history with the Saiyan Prince. He'd known him from a very early age and had often accompanied him on missions.

"You both had your own missions to take care of," Vegeta muttered. "Damn that Freeza; it's been far too easy recently! There's no thrill or fun in this at the moment; I'm tired of being given easy assignments! I did not sleep for half a year to be sent to a planet full of pitiful weaklings!"

Nappa wasn't really sure what to say to this, so he chose instead to follow Vegeta down the hall in silence. The two walked down the seemingly endless corridor for quite some time before they arrived in a much larger room filled with several rows of tables and stools. They'd arrived in the cafeteria. Vegeta parked himself down on one of the many seats available and folded his arms, closing his eyes and concentrating on his thoughts. There had to be a way to overthrow Freeza; what was the surest way to do it? He paid little attention to anything else going on around him (leaving Nappa to sit quietly and concentrate on his own thoughts or sit awkwardly in silence); he didn't care about anything else. All he wanted right now was to march into Freeza's chambers, slay him and become the new ruler of the universe. The thought brought a smirk to his face.

The smirk hadn't gone unnoticed by Nappa. "What's up?" He asked.

Vegeta rose to his feet. "We're leaving, Nappa."

"Leaving?" Nappa repeated, "...but Vegeta, we've only just got here!"

The Saiyan Prince paid no mind to his underling's words and made for the door, heading back down the corridor, only turning down the third corridor on the right and heading towards his own quarters. Nappa realised this and grew a little restless. "Um... Vegeta? Shouldn't you report back to Freeza?" He asked. Usual protocol requested that anyone who'd arrived back from a mission – whether successful or not – would report back to Freeza. There was a high price to pay for those who did not return back successful and it was no rumour that those who often returned back without success never came back out from their master's chambers. There had been many incidents over the past years where Vegeta'd wandered past that one room and had seen soldiers mopping up blood stains from the floor and walls, a body being taken away to be thrown into the dump.

"Freeza can wait," Vegeta responded. "I have more pressing matters to attend to... and you don't have to keep following me around like a lost puppy, Nappa!"

The Prince was left alone as he entered his chamber, setting himself down on his bed and planning for the future. He'd decided Freeza needed to be dealt with but he didn't know how he was going to go about defeating him. Whatever happened, Freeza had to be killed so the Saiyans could reclaim their glory and become masters of the universe. He, as the Saiyan Prince, naturally would be the supreme ruler of the galaxy... Once more the smirk appeared on his face.

He could see it so clearly in his mind; dealing the final blow to Freeza whom would be begging for mercy just as the Prince finished him off. The thought played back countless times. It seemed so simple in his mind. Vegeta knew better than to just rush head-on against Freeza; he needed power. He needed more power! The continuous stream of easy assignments wouldn't give him power. His current power level would see him be blown away easily by the monster. He had to be cautious; he needed to keep biding time... what if his time never came? What if for some reason or another, he would be unable to defeat Freeza because of something else? What if when he thought it was time, he was wrong? The Saiyan race could not be allowed to vanish just like that! He refused to let his entire race be wiped out, least of all by that tyrant!

Vegeta shook himself out of his thoughts and sat himself up. What was he thinking foolish thoughts like that for? There was no way he was going to let himself be killed by him. He would be the victor; he would outlive Freeza...

The Prince soon decided he'd better report to his master before the tyrant sent his grubby henchmen to find him; no doubt he'd know of Vegeta's return. He'd always treated Vegeta as one of the soldiers he was 'fonder' of. The thought sickened Vegeta to no end and made his stomach churn. He'd prefer to keep the contents of his stomach from coming back up! He left his room and walked down the corridors, following the same pattern of turns and twists around the maze of corridors and halls; he'd been down them so many times before he was practically on autopilot now! Eventually he reached the doors and barged in. As usual, Dodoria and Zarbon had swung around to glare at the intruder, both shooting looks of resent and disgust as he walked through into the room. Freeza was ahead of them, sitting in his strange chair as usual.

"Vegeta, what have we told you about barging in uninvited?" Zarbon sneered venomously eyeing up the shorter warrior as he strode into the room.

Vegeta ignored the looks of venom Frieza's two henchmen were giving him. "Mission completed." He muttered.

"Oh?" Freeza's levitating chair turned so he fully faced the prince. "Well done Vegeta, naturally I knew you'd be able to do it." There was something about the smile on his face which rubbed Vegeta up the wrong way. It was almost as if he were trying to patronise him. Vegeta could feel his blood screaming for a fight but his mind and common sense kept him from launching an attack. Soon, he told himself.

"What's my next assignment?" Vegeta asked.

Freeza turned away, returning to his original position. "...Zarbon, find Vegeta another assignment to carry out, something a little more challenging for him. It wouldn't hurt to give him something a little tougher, just to test his abilities."

"As you command, lord Freeza," Zarbon bowed. The tall, slender and graceful warrior did not look at the Saiyan again. It had been made clear long ago to Vegeta that Zarbon did not like him, often taunting the Prince and working him like a slave. However despite Vegeta's fury at being treated like dirt by the warrior he knew in the end it would all work in his favour, so he continued to endure the demands without a word.

"Vegeta, you may return to your quarters until Zarbon gives you your next assignment," Freeza added. "I'm sure he won't take too long."

"Thank you lord Freeza," Vegeta bowed, trying to keep his nausea in. He hated having to stoop to this but he had no choice. He just had to keep the act up until that fateful day, that inevitable day... With that thought spurring him on, Vegeta turned and left the room.

The doors closed; Dodoria instantly turning to Frieza. "Lord Freeza, he's gone too far this time!"

"Let it go Dodoria," Freeza interrupted him. "Vegeta was very rude to interrupt us but I'm glad he appeared when he did... I wouldn't want him to overhear anything important after all."

Zarbon stepped forward. "... Lord Freeza? Did you have any particular assignment in mind?"

"... It doesn't really matter," Freeza answered. "I'm eager to see just how strong our prince has gotten. I'm pretty sure he's cottoning onto my plan so it would be wise to throw him off a little, even for a while."

"Plan?" Zarbon repeated slightly curious but not wanting to pry too much. He was very aware of the horrifying power his master was capable of, witnessing many of the brutal punishments and executions his master had made to those who pried too much.

"Vegeta is the strongest Saiyan fighter we have," Freeza continued. "He has shown us impressive potential for a Saiyan ever since he was a boy. It wouldn't surprise me if his power were to keep growing with every mission he completes. That is the reason I have decided to give him missions he can easily complete. If he has no problems in completing his missions, his power won't rise too high too fast and this way it allows us to monitor his power. We can't have him continuously having tough assignments; his power would start rising at a much higher rate."

Zarbon cottoned onto what Freeza was saying. "I see... So this way it allows us to keep a close check on his progress."

"Precisely," Freeza nodded. "I don't want him to get too strong; it would probably go to his head and make him think he could challenge me... After all, I've already had one Saiyan of royal blood revolt against me; it would be a shame to see his son make the same foolish mistake when I could use his power... You can both learn from this example; always keep an eye on a Saiyan because you can never trust a monkey."

Soon Vegeta was summoned by Zarbon and was given his next assignment. He then headed towards Nappa and Raditz's quarters and quite literally dragged them out!

"Another assignment?" Raditz blinked. "You've only just returned within the hour!"

"That doesn't matter," Vegeta replied. "It's much better than staying here in this boring place! Frieza reckons this one'll be more of a challenge than the last... I have an idea anyway and it involves the two of you."

"Us two?" Nappa repeated slightly surprised. "Why, what do you want us to do?"

Vegeta glanced behind himself to see if any prying ears were around. "... You two will go ahead of me; I'm going to take a detour before I join you. There's something I need to take care of before this mission."

"What's the assignment?" Raditz asked.

"Conquer planet Paeri," Vegeta replied with a smirk. "We all know there are a few Paerians working for Freeza; seems he wants the rest of them wiped out."

"Planet Paeri eh?" Nappa grinned in anticipation. "Sounds like fun. I'm in."

"It's about time we had a challenge on our hands," Raditz smirked equally as eager as Nappa.

"So what'll you be doing in the meantime Vegeta?" Nappa asked.

"I'll explain on the way," Vegeta responded. "We leave immediately."

The three Saiyans headed towards the launching bays, Vegeta not quite giving his personal mission away but giving Nappa and Raditz an idea of why he was doing it. Freeza had to be eliminated and he had to be eliminated by a Saiyan's hands. Even if it turned out it wasn't by Vegeta's hands...

Within five minutes of reaching their spacepods the three Saiyans took off into space, headed for their destination... or so it appeared to those tracking them via radar. Once they'd left the radar field of the planet they'd been on, Vegeta punched a few keys into the computer. "Computer, we're going to take a little detour," he commanded. "Give me all the planets with inhabitants who roughly have the same features as a Saiyan within a two month-journey from Planet Paeri."

"_Yes Prince Vegeta,"_ the computer began to run a scan, buttons flashing rapidly as it did so. _"Scan complete."_

"Are there any low-threat planets within the list?" Vegeta asked. "Single them out and pick the nearest one to Planet Paeri. I wish to set a course to whatever planet that is."

"_Very well Prince Vegeta. The nearest planet with minimum-threat status would be eighteen days away from current position and twelve days away from Planet Paeri. Setting course now."_

Vegeta sat back and folded his arms. The static mist was released into the pod. Vegeta closed his eyes and felt himself drift to his slumber. He only had eighteen days to wait...


	2. Chapter 2

**Origins of a Saiyan Princess**

**Chapter 02 – Betrayal**

Far, far off into the reaches of space many millions of miles away, the familiar and beautiful blue planet was at peace. It had been a couple of months since the twenty-third Tenkaichi Budokai had taken place and the world's fate had been decided. It had only been three years since the planet was almost purged by the evil Piccolo Daimao; three years since that mysterious young boy had saved the planet and defeated the demon. The world had been at peace for a brief three years until Piccolo Jr had shown up at the Tenkaichi Budokai under the alias of Ma Junior. Luckily he'd been stopped by Goku before he could even come close to matching the global panic his predecessor had caused. The only problem was he'd been allowed to escape death; Piccolo still lived and was somewhere on the planet, biding his time before he made his next attempt to destroy Son Goku and claim control over Earth...

West City was in the grips of late summer, effectively held hostage by a heat-wave which'd come in from the nearby southern desert. Despite the sweltering heats the busy streets of the city were packed with people enjoying the sun, many being school kids who were off on their summer break. Those travelling in vehicles without air conditioning were not of the same mind as these children, many brought to the limit waiting in traffic jams just wanting to get out of the heat and return home. Amongst the shimmering buildings was the large and easily recognisable Capsule Corporation building.

Bulma sighed and wiped her brow, pushing a few strands of hair from her forehead. The heat was beginning to get on her nerves now. Trust the air conditioning system to break down during the hottest week on record! She would be glad to see Yamcha later on so they could leave this oven of a building and go somewhere cooler.

Bulma's pager began to bleep; speak of the devil. No doubt that was the receptionist letting her know Yamcha had arrived! The heiress to the Capsule Corporation left her work and made her way out of the laboratories, down one flight of stairs and into the main entrance. Sure enough Yamcha was there leaning up against the receptionist's desk. Bulma made her way over to him, noting his proximity to the receptionist in the back of her mind. She couldn't help it, it was more a force of habit that she knew did her no favours. Despite this she urged the thought to the back of her mind and approached the tall man. "Hey Yamcha, I was wondering when you'd get here!" She greeted her long-term boyfriend with a cheeky smile falling lightly into his arms.

"It's pretty hot out there today," Yamcha replied as he greeted his girlfriend, giving her a light kiss on the lips. "Do you need time to get ready or are we all set?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Bulma raised an eyebrow and stepped back out of his arms with a smirk, "do these look like the kind of things I'd want to go out in public in? I need time to get ready you goof!"

"Just thought I'd ask," Yamcha sighed, anticipating she'd need the time in the first place but asking for the sake of it.

"You should know by now what I'm like, Yamcha," Bulma turned on her heels and invited him to follow her up into the resident areas of the building. Although all appeared well on the heiress' face, her mind said otherwise. The faint smell of cheap perfume hadn't gone unnoticed and Bulma was fuming inside. She wanted to turn around and let her emotions run riot, scream her lungs out at him and send him off on his way. The only thing that had stopped her was the presence of the receptionist; Bulma was compassionate enough not to make a scene in front of other people, particularly as she was the one who'd been cheated on – if it was the case Yamcha had been with someone else. Wasn't it always the case? Perhaps she was jumping the gun a little, though could she really blame herself? Yamcha had been involved with other women in the past, could he be falling back into old ways or should Bulma give him the benefit of the doubt? She wasn't entirely sure what to believe but his previous track record was working against him.

The two reached the next floor and turned right, heading into the living quarters. As soon as they passed into the quiet corridor, Bulma abruptly stopped in her tracks, turquoise hair whirling through the air as she spun around. Her immediate suspicions had gotten the better of her; the anger and venom in her eyes immediately caught Yamcha's attention.

"Why was it when I hugged you just now, I caught a whiff of perfume?" Bulma asked directly and sternly.

Yamcha expelled a loud breath of air and smiled at her, making Bulma's blood boil further. "I kinda got sprayed by a saleswoman by accident. I was gonna keep it a surprise but I was planning on buying you some perfume," he explained.

Bulma felt the relief begin to sink in but stopped herself. She still wasn't entirely convinced (then again one part of her mind never was!) and there was a small element in his eyes that hinted he wasn't being truthful with her. She looked him over, spotting the proof she needed. Bulma picked at his shirt, taking a look at the loose hair she'd spotted. "... I hate to tell you this Yamcha but your hair is not light brown... Now how did a hair which does not belong to you end up on your shirt?" She glared back at him, waiting for an answer. The longer he spent concocting an answer, the harder it got for her to control herself. Her eyes were beginning to sting and she could feel her ears getting warmer as her suspicions rose all them more.

"...Guess it must have floated through the air and landed on me," Yamcha finally answered. He wasn't sure how to explain the rogue hair that had fallen upon him, nor had he noticed the moment it had latched onto him!

Bulma's eyes began to reflect a stormy sea; an outward manifestation of what was happening inside of her. She couldn't believe she was in this position. "... You're lying," she whimpered. "I can see it; I can see you're lying to me!"

"Bulma I'm not lying to you," Yamcha retaliated, now becoming more aggressive she was accusing him of such a thing. Why couldn't she just trust in his word for once? He'd grown weary of all the accusations over the years, part of him wondering why he even bothered. Was it better just to let her believe what she wanted and agree even if it wasn't true? No, he wasn't going to lie and be blamed for things he hadn't done. He hated being accused of things that held no truth to them. "You've got to take my word for this. I have not been seeing anyone else; I'm not lying to you!"

"I cannot believe you!" Bulma released her anger and yelled at the top of her lungs. "Yamcha, get out of my house!"

"Bulma stop working yourself up over nothing!" Yamcha raised his voice, trying to keep her from yelling. "I'm telling you I have not been with someone else!"

"I'm telling you to get out of my house!" Bulma yelled blinded by her fury. She didn't care for causing a scene right now; there was no one but the two of them in this section of the building. It was time to let her fury fly and put her foot down. "I don't want to see you here again! It's always the same things, the same excuses! You always end up cheating on me! This is the third time now, I won't be made to be a fool!"

"Hey! You said you'd forgiven me for all those times and I promised you I'd never do it again! When I make a promise I mean to stick by it Bulma! I'm not that man anymore!" Yamcha bellowed back tired of the paranoid accusations being thrown at him. If she still couldn't trust him, would she ever learn to fully trust him? If not then how could their relationship work? Yamcha knew trying to reason with her when she was in this mood was near-on impossible, it was best to leave her to cool down though he too needed to make her hurt as much as she'd just hurt him. "You know what, if this is the way you're gonna treat me then I'll do as you wish and leave! Maybe tonight I'll spend my time with another chick instead of you!"

"What - the same one as earlier on today?" Bulma snapped, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Good-riddance; she can keep you for all I care! She'll soon learn what you're really like!"

"Yeah she will learn how caring and loyal I am now, something you'll never get to find out!" Yamcha retaliated. "I'm outta here! I don't have time to be wasting with you!" And with that the tall ex-bandit turned and stormed back down the stairs, leaving a quivering Bulma by herself. For a while she stood slanted against the wall, body trembling from the amount of emotion and fury she felt towards the man. Eventually she surpassed the feeling to break down and collapse to the floor, instead she started to walk. Silently she stormed down the empty corridor, tears falling down her face and taking her mascara with them. She made it to her room, slammed the door shut, locked it and leant against the door. The walls finally caved in as she slowly slid down the door, sitting with her knees arched up and wrapping her arms around them, burying her head and beginning to cry in a more distressed manner.

It was a couple of hours later before Bulma reappeared out of her room, calmer than before and having reapplied her make-up. All that crying had made her feel groggy and slightly bunged up but Bulma didn't really care. She couldn't believe he'd have the nerve to do that to her, how could he do that to her after he promised? Then again, how many times would it take for her to realise he would probably keep doing it? All those times she'd swallowed her pride and agreed to take him back in; for every time she'd done that, he'd then gone and broken her heart more. Bulma was sick and tired of bending to his every whim; she didn't need him to mess up her life so much! She didn't need him!

With this thought in mind, Bulma had begun to grow increasingly angry towards him. He'd made her look like a fool so many times and had gone off with other women, leaving her to be the lonely loser who would take him back whenever he'd decided he'd rather be with her. It always left her feeling like second-best. Well not this time! Bulma was going to get her own back on him for what he'd done to her. She wasn't going to mope around, get over him and then take him back when it suited him; she was going to give him a taste of his own medicine.

The heiress made it into the kitchen to fix herself up a small snack; she had been working straight for the past five hours before that jerk had shown up and she knew deep down it was best for her to eat, even if she really didn't feel like eating. As she ate she began to hatch up a scheme to get her revenge. She would make Yamcha feel like she'd been made to feel over the past few years. She would put aside her pride once more for a different reason. Part of her felt rather excited; she'd never done anything like this before and the rush she was getting from it spurred her on. Another part of her reminded her to take care of herself; if she was going to be using Yamcha's tactics against him, she would need to be responsible.

Within the hour, Bulma got herself ready per usual, as if she and Yamcha were still on their date. She'd go out into the West City streets and find another guy; a better guy than Yamcha. It was possible! She'd show him she wasn't just something on a shelf waiting to be picked out by him at his convenience; she'd show him she had far more going for her in life than just him.

The sun was still relatively high up in the sky, albeit only just poking over the top of the large skyscrapers of West City's business sector. Bulma rode through the skies above on her hover bike, glancing ahead with a smile on her face. The small breeze offered her relief against the sun's onslaught and tickled against her cheek as it swept through her short hair. She'd definitely cheered up now considering the state she'd been in because she refused to feel that way. There'd been too many breakups with him where she'd cried and focused on how upset and angry she was. This time she'd decided she wasn't going to pay him any mind; he didn't deserve her attention. Instead she'd focus on the things she wanted to do and keeping herself happy.

The only thing was, Bulma wasn't sure what would make her happy.

Would spending her time with another man really make her happy or would she wake up in the morning still thinking of Yamcha? No, she refused to think of him! Bulma quickly turned her thoughts to her destination, realising she hadn't really thought of where she was going to go! She could always go to the nearby coast and pick up a guy there... the only thing was, Bulma didn't have her swim suit with her. The beach would be out of the question without a bikini to show herself off in plus the early evening was not the best time to be picking up men... She could always look around the mall... Bulma sighed and shook her head. At this time of day the mall would be filled with teenagers and it wasn't a very guyish place to be...

Maybe this wasn't as simple as she first thought.

There was always the night life around West City. Bulma knew of a few clubs and bars she knew she could get into; no doubt there'd be guys there. She recalled a couple she'd been to more recently with friends and on occasion with Yamcha. As long as he wasn't there, things would run smoothly! A smile came to her face. Sorted!

Night had set over the western side of the planet. It had just gone past one in the morning in West City and a turquoise-haired woman was walking out of one of the many bars of the city, slightly tipsy but still more-or-less in control of her behaviour. Bulma sighed and looked at the ground; not a single decent looking guy her age in there... This was the fifth club she'd been to now! Bulma was beginning to grow tired of having to cue outside for ages just to find the club full of teenagers! She was only twenty-three herself but still; the maturity of the guys in there had really made Bulma begin to miss Yamcha – at least he was relatively mature for a twenty-three year old guy!

Bulma shook herself from her thoughts and huffed angrily. What a waste of time that was! The alcohol appeared to be kicking in if she was beginning to regret not being with Yamcha. Defeated and tired of looking around, Bulma felt like going home and going to sleep but she knew with the state her thoughts were in, getting to sleep would take time! She needed to clear her head. A walk was needed to clear her thoughts but walking the streets of West City in the early hours of the morning struck Bulma with a nervous and vulnerable feeling. It wasn't worth risking it. She'd be better off going for a drive instead. Taking her capsule case from out her skirt pocket, Bulma selected a capsule from the small box and released it in the street. A puff of smoke revealed a motorbike. Bulma sat herself down and started the engines, taking off down the street into the night. She needed a long drive to clear her mind of her troubles.

She travelled through the brightly lit streets, unsure of where she was headed for. Eventually all artificial lighting fell behind her as she entered the darker countryside down one of the many arteries that ran across the continent. It was surprisingly quiet considering how major the road connection was, running east linking West City to nearby cities and eventually Central City. The air was cooler out here without the heat of the city to keep her warm, though the alcohol in her system was holding off the chill of the night for now. The clear sky above twinkled with a million far-away stars, all looming over the ground below providing little lighting. The moon was unable to be seen due to it being a new moon; the Earth blocking the sun's light from it. This made it particularly dark out tonight, which did play to Bulma's disadvantage. She wasn't exactly dressed provocatively but she couldn't help but feel a little edgy due to the cover of night and the amount she'd drunk during her earlier excursions to lure a man. She continued to drive through the countryside, not noticing the shooting star to her right...

The shooting star was in fact a falling object, heading through the Earth's atmosphere from space...


	3. Chapter 3

**Origins of a Saiyan Princess**

**Chapter 03 – Meeting For The First Time**

A terrific rumble of thunder violently snatched Bulma from her thoughts. Bulma suddenly felt the bike shift underneath her and instinctively released the accelerator. She lost balance and fell, scraping and rolling across the side of the road quickly coming to a stop. It was when she hit the ground she realised the entire ground was shaking and could feel tremors; at least the fall wasn't due to a mistake she'd made in her semi-drunken state. Bulma had been worried the alcohol in her system has messed up her balance or control. Perhaps it would have been a better idea to use the hover bike!

The tremors quickly stopped, Bulma staying in position for a couple more seconds before daring to open her eyes and glance around. The road was completely empty which she appreciated; at least she hadn't caused any danger for anyone else on the road... that and no one had seen her fall from her bike! She checked herself over; she'd managed to scrape her left thigh against the ground as she'd landed but it seemed she didn't have any major injuries or broken bones. With a sigh; slightly self-pitying, slightly relieved; Bulma managed to get to her feet, noticing the parts of her body which felt sore and bruised from her contact with the ground. She made her way over to her bike and set it up-right onto the road before deciding what the next course of action was.

Not too far away from the road, a small crater had appeared in the barren wasteland. A couple of trees had been taken out as the object had collided with them; dirt and dust still falling through the still air. In the middle of the dented ground, a small round pod lay; a space pod. The door automatically opened, its eerie machinery clicking as the door locked itself into place.

Vegeta stepped out of the ship unshaken from the rough landing, not quite sure what planet he'd actually landed on. He'd only just been roused from his sleep by the computer as the ship had begun its final descent through the atmosphere. He hadn't even been able to tell what colour the sky was because he'd been the wrong side of the planet for the sun's rays to show him. Not that it really mattered. The Saiyan Prince walked up the side of the crater and onto level ground, looking around at his surroundings. The scenery was relatively flat with the odd boulder around. The prince reached for the device sitting over his left ear and pressed a button. He needed to hurry and find the nearest sign of civilisation. Instinct started to kick in; Vegeta glanced up to the sky but his eyes did not see any moon, much less a full moon. That wasn't a bad thing considering his intentions. He had to move fast, it seemed he'd arrived in the dead of night and did not plan to see the sun rise on this mud-ball planet.

The screen attached to the small device on his face began to flicker, an arrow pointing over to his left. Vegeta turned and faced the direction the signal was coming from, a little disappointed in the readings he was receiving. No wonder this planet had a minimum threat rating from the ship's computer; it was a planet full of weaklings. Still, this planet had inhabitants compatible with Saiyans so it was better than nothing. At least this way things would go according to plan. It angered him to think he was about to do what he was going to do with a feeble weakling of a weakling race... He wondered whether it was worth the risk...

He had to be as selective as possible; no ordinary female of this planet would do. He refused to waste his genetics on an unworthy female... What was he saying; the planet was full of them! The entire race was unworthy! A planet full of weaklings! Vegeta cursed under his breath before levitating up into the air, heading west for the area his scouter had pointed out. He knew he was short on time and would probably not get a chance like this again. What choice did he have? Freeza may have picked up on his ship altering course or may notice his arrival time on planet Paeri differing from that of Nappa and Raditz. Despite his objections he had to make the best of the situation whilst there was still a possibility.

Bulma watched as her bike disappeared in a puff of smoke, reverting back to its capsule form. There was no way she could use it in the state it was now in. She pulled out another capsule and threw it to the roadside. The expected burst of smoke followed and Bulma's hover bike appeared instead. Bulma mounted the bike and pondered her options; either she could continue to travel down the road or she could just turn around and go home. Her stinging thigh told her to go home and treat her wounds, as did several aching muscles. Bulma sighed once again and disappointedly looked down; what a night this had turned out to be...

She started the engines, the bike roaring into action as it began to levitate up into the air. With a turn of the accelerator, Bulma began to move forwards, turning the bike around and heading back the way she came, following the road she'd used as a reference.

Their paths began to converge with one another.

Vegeta flew at a low speed across the wastelands, spotting light pollution in the distance below him. That had to be civilisation or some new phenomena Vegeta had never come across before; civilisation seemed the obvious answer. He felt no emotion such as relief or anticipation; Vegeta had little emotion to speak of. All this was just part of his plan to ensure Freeza was taken out by a Saiyan's hands; he didn't care about mating with anyone and had no desire to do such a thing. He'd never felt any drive or instinct to do so, probably because of his lifestyle and the absence of any female Saiyans. He had no time for mating anyway in his usual schedule and it's not like he felt he needed to make time... until now. If the worst came to the worst and Vegeta was taken out by Freeza, at least having an offspring with the possible potential to defeat Freeza was better than nothing. Naturally though, Vegeta was sure in his abilities that someday he would obtain the power he'd need to do the deed himself. This was merely a precaution in case all went wrong. It was only right that royal Saiyan blood should be the one to take Freeza out and take his place as ruler of the universe.

A quiet yet high pitched sound caught his attention; gradually it grew louder and louder. It was coming from his right. His eyes shifted to identify where the noise was coming from, quickly spotting it due to his sharp eyesight despite the darkness cloaking him and his surroundings. To his right and closer to the ground, a little ways ahead of him was a small dot moving at a slightly faster pace than his flight. His curiosity got the better of him and Vegeta decided to fly towards the dot to find out what it was. He pressed the button on the side of the machine attached to his face. Signs raced across the screen, highlighting the dot as an organic living being. He continued to fly towards it.

Bulma suddenly felt as if she wasn't alone. She looked up to the horizon ahead of her, spotting the lights of West City in the distance. She was almost back in civilisation...

Vegeta was close enough to see the person clearly; it was a woman riding some sort of technical machine that allowed her to travel through the air. Her short turquoise hair blew in the wind as she moved, Vegeta noting how unusual her hair colour was. She was like any other typical being on this planet, sporting a power level of only three. Pitiful. Vegeta sneered and decided to move on, beginning to travel faster... finding himself not moving ahead of this woman...

He found himself asking one question: why wasn't he flying past this insignificant being?

Bulma had that feeling again; she felt as if she were being watched. Was she being followed by someone? What if Yamcha was tailing her? Bulma decided to put her suspicions to rest and began to steer to the left, practically turning back on herself to get a look around at her surroundings.

Vegeta noticed the woman was changing course and was now heading directly below him and to the left. His confusion was apparent; he'd assumed she was heading for the bright lights ahead of them but apparently not. He watched her, baffled even more by her actions as she practically did a three-sixty. What was she up to?

Bulma saw something out of the corner of her eye on the way back around to her original starting position; something just above and to her left had caught her attention and she looked up. She'd spotted him. '_... I don't think that's Yamcha..'._ she mumbled to herself keeping one eye on the dot above her.

The Saiyan Prince realised the woman was now looking up at him, not really sure whether to attack her for displaying such stupid behaviour or to ignore her. No, perhaps it wasn't so stupid. Maybe she'd been able to tell he was there, although Vegeta wasn't too sure how she would have been able to do that.

Bulma was beginning to grow annoyed with this guy; it was incredibly rude of him to keep on following her like this and not even say anything. "What the heck do you think you're doing?" She yelled at him over the noise of her machine. "Is there any particular reason you're following me you creep?"

Vegeta grew agitated by this rude woman's words; she had no idea what she was getting herself into, yet he decided not to kill her. He wasn't going to dirty his hands on insignificant power, nor even he was in the mood for it tonight. This woman appeared to have spunk and Vegeta thought it would probably be amusing to annoy her further... although he wasn't sure what the reasoning behind this was.

"Oh that's just great!" Bulma sneered more to herself than to him, turning back around to face the direction she was going in. "Fine, ignore me but know it's not polite to ignore a lady!" She continued towards the city, keeping him in the back of her mind.

Apparently he wasn't going to get any more of a reaction out of this weakling. Vegeta sneered and decided to make a move. He was interested in this woman for some reason and she seemed as good as any, not that he'd seen any other signs of life so far on this planet. With little effort, he fired a weak energy ball towards her, aiming for her machine rather than her. It struck its target; Bulma screamed as she was suddenly pushed up into the air, losing her grip on her hover bike. Gravity quickly kicked in and sent her towards the ground; luckily for her she hadn't been too high up and she landed with a thud... or rather it was more of a delayed thud with a sudden blow to her stomach as she landed on something. Amidst the confusion, the alien had flown down and grabbed her with one arm around her stomach, descending ever-so-slightly and dropping her at a safe height. It was no good her injuring herself fatally if she was going to be the chosen one!

Bulma rose to her knees, rubbing her stomach from the sudden strike. "What the..." She glanced over her shoulder to see the remains of her hover bike fall around her, flames and smoke making her all the more relieved she'd just survived that little ordeal! "What just happened?" She asked herself. Had it been a malfunction? It'd almost felt as if something to the back of the craft had erupted, sending a shockwave strong enough to push her off the craft...

Vegeta landed on the ground a few metres away from the woman, seemingly amused by her confusion. Closer up she did look like a Saiyan, minus the tail, the black hair and the eyes; her facial features seemed softer than a Saiyan's. On one level, she did look quite beautiful, although the prince's pride and beliefs kept him from even processing the thought consciously. He would never admit something as foolish as that; that would go against everything his training had taught him. Warriors were cold and ruthless and did not display such foolish attachment or emotion.

Bulma noticed the man had landed nearby and grew suspicious. "Just what did you just do, jerk? That wasn't a cheap model you know!" She snapped, rising to her feet, flinching slightly from her accident earlier as the bruises and aches made another assault on her body. "Who the heck do you think you are anyway? It's rude to follow people; where I come from we call that stalking!"

Vegeta frowned. She may have had a pretty face but this woman also seemed to like the sound of her own voice... although it was rather amusing to see her as angry as this. She seemed to at least have a fiery temper, something he himself had. She was also clearly very, very naive if she was going to shout at him, the prince of all Saiyans.

The Capsule Corp. heiress was growing increasingly angry with this man. "What's wrong, can't you talk or something?" She yelled. "Fine, you just stand there being an asshole! I've had a really bad day as it is today and I don't need morons like you adding to it!"

"You certainly have a loud mouth, don't you?" Vegeta smirked, surprising Bulma a little. She hadn't been expecting to hear him say something like that... How dare he! Bulma clenched her fists, brimming with anger and hatred. She stopped herself from releasing her frustrations out on him, taking in deep breaths and breathing out slowly. After a while she looked back at him, now seeming to be calmer.

"Well, that was rude of you. If that's the first thing you say to a stranger – especially with me being a lady – then I'm guessing you were never taught manners." She reached into her pocket.

Vegeta saw her hand disappear into the side of her skirt and instinctively put up his guard; was she about to take out a weapon of some sort? Bulma's hand quickly reappeared holding onto her capsule case. She opened it up; Vegeta watching her every move. After a moment or so, the woman's facial expression went to that of a calm demeanour to that of someone who'd just been given some terrible news. Bulma stared into her capsule case, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "... Oh no... That was my last vehicle!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. "NOW HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET HOME?"

Vegeta watched unbothered as Bulma sank to her knees, slamming her fists down on the ground and whimpering to herself.

Bulma quickly recovered, glaring at the man near her. "I don't suppose you have any capsules on you, have you?" She muttered reluctantly, hating the fact she was asking this jerk for some assistance.

Vegeta realised she was in fact talking to him yet again and raised an eyebrow. Just what did she mean by 'capsules'? What did they have to do with her getting back home?

Bulma sighed and got to her feet. "Great... stuck in the wilderness with possibly the rudest guy on the planet! Looks like I'm gonna have to walk home..." The tears began to reappear but Bulma pushed them back; crying wouldn't get her anywhere. She quickly started to run through all possible solutions on getting home, one idea jumping to the forefront of her mind and bringing a hopeful smile to her face as she spun on her heels, "that's it! You were flying weren't you? You can fly! You can..." her joy slowly turned into shock. "... You can fly?" She stared at him dumbfounded. "... Do you practice martial arts or something? You were flying by yourself, weren't you? No aids or anything?"

Vegeta was getting tired of all the questions. This woman was a waste of time; she had practically no fighting strength and a loud mouth. Without a word he decided it was better to continue his search and he ascended into the sky, ignoring Bulma's calls for assistance, then her insults.

"Wait! That's not fair you jerk!" Bulma bellowed, running after the slow-moving flyer. "You totalled my last bike! You owe me a ride home! Stop! Come back here!"

Something inside felt strange. Although her voice was irritating him, he wanted to listen to it more. Although he was finished observing this woman, he flew slow enough for her to keep up. Why? Why was he still in her company? Why was he not flying away to explore more of this weakling planet? Why? He found himself glancing back down at her, watching her as she ran as fast as she could after him, listening to her as she started to throw insults at him for being so rude and impolite, mentioning how this was not how a lady was supposed to be treated. Even from the distance they had, he could see fire burning in her blue eyes, could see strength in them. Something about her compelled him to get closer to her.

Bulma blinked in surprise as the man descended back onto the ground, landing in front of her without a word. She stopped running; she had to catch her breath back. The warmth from the alcohol she'd drunk earlier in the night was beginning to fade away as the coldness of fatigue started to set in alongside the ever increasing chill of the night. A couple of exasperated breaths passed before she glanced back up at him. "Why did you stop? Are you going to give me a lift home?"

The prince raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by how quickly this woman had become tired. Then again it didn't surprise him. What had surprised him and completely taken him back was that he'd stopped to let her catch up. Perhaps there was something more to this woman than appeared. Although it would be simple and easy just to pin her down and force her to conceive, Vegeta dismissed this option. He was far above that kind of thing and he didn't want to make it seem as if he were desperate or out of control; he was a Saiyan Prince and never let his instincts run riot, controlling his actions. The only problem was he was a little unsure how to go about getting her to willingly consent... The Prince stopped himself. Did that mean he'd picked her out of the entire planet without actually seeing anyone else?

Bulma grew annoyed for what had to have been the fifth time with him. "I don't get you at all..." she mumbled looking him up and down sub-consciously. There was something about this guy which reminded her of Yamcha but at the same time, he seemed completely different from him. His eyes seemed cold at first but the more Bulma looked at them, the warmer they seemed to become. There was something about him that intrigued her. "... So where were you going anyway dare I ask? I've never seen clothes like those before so I'm guessing you're a foreigner or something."

Vegeta folded his arms and looked away from her. He had the feeling the inhabitants of this planet had no idea of the existence of aliens; that was one of the classifications of a minimal threat planet after all. "... You could say that," he muttered.

Bulma smiled, "Well, well! He finally graces me with an answer! I guess the reason you weren't answering me earlier in that case was because you couldn't understand me! Do they speak a different language where you're from?" Although he'd barely said much to her, Bulma had come to like the sound of his voice, although she wasn't sure why. He did sound similar to Yamcha and seemed to have that cocky sound in his voice but there seemed to be something more, something which made him rather attractive. Perhaps her night hadn't been fruitless after all...

Vegeta lulled over this question for a moment. His home planet had once had their own unique language and he had been taught it, yet ever since Freeza had arrived their language had been replaced by that of which Freeza and his men spoke. Vegeta barely remembered any Saiyans besides those in the royal guard being able to speak the native tongue. "... They used to," He replied, wondering why he'd actually answered. It wasn't any of her business what his past was like.

"Used to?" Bulma repeated. "... Well that's weird... Oh well! So what are you doing out here in a place like this anyway? Are you lost or something?"

"Why is that any of your business, woman?" Vegeta was growing tired of constantly being asked questions. "What's a woman like you doing out here with no one else around anyway?" That had been bothering him for a while now; why was there this lone woman out by herself in the wilderness. It didn't seem to be a usual custom of this planet; the fact that he'd seen many lights shining in the distance was a clear sign these aliens grouped together and acted as a colony. Why wasn't she with others of her kind? Had she been singled out as a misfit or a traitor?

Bulma glared at him. "I thought that was too good to be true; back to the rude answers again! What's wrong with a lady being out in the wilderness by herself anyway? I can take care of myself! I would have been back home by now in the city if my hover bike hadn't been destroyed by a certain someone!"

So she did live with others; that ruled out the traitor or misfit theory.

The sound of a wolf howling attracted Bulma's attention. She'd forgotten about being stuck in the middle of nowhere until he'd pointed it out. Now she felt a little vulnerable, even if she refused to admit it out loud. She needed to find some shelter; she didn't want to walk back home in the dark, home was about three hours away on foot and she'd rather have to make that journey during the day. Then again, maybe she didn't need to wait until daytime came. This guy could fly!

Bulma looked back to the man, "Listen, as much as I hate to ask, could you carry me and fly me back home?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Origins of a Saiyan Princess**

**Chapter 04 – Saiyan meets Earthling**

"Listen, as much as I hate to ask, could you carry me and fly me back home?"

The prince looked back at the alien woman, arms still folded and cold glare still present. "Do it yourself!" He responded harshly.

Bulma glared at him and clenched her fists infuriated with his lack of cooperation and blunt rudeness towards her. "Fine, be that way you jerk!" She snapped, reaching back into her pocket. "Don't expect any help from me either!" It seemed her only option now was to set up camp for the night and sleep safe and sound in one of her capsule homes until the morning. She silently thanked her naturally genius mind for remembering to pack a range of capsules in her case!

Vegeta had seen her hand slip into her pocket again, wondering whether she was going to pull out that case again or something a little more dangerous. It was the former. Once again Bulma pulled out her capsule case, picking out one of the small devices and lightly flicking her wrist, letting the object strike the ground nearby. Vegeta was absolutely stunned to see a sudden explosion of dust accompanied by a fairly loud bang and instinct kicked in; was it a ploy to distract his attention whilst she went to attack him?

Bulma sighed and looked up at her capsule house. "I knew this would come in handy! It's a good thing I decided to bring it with me just in case!" She turned to look at the man with a smug, jeering expression on her face, a little surprised to see the obvious confusion on his! Inside she giggled, '_Come to think of it, Son-kun was this shocked too when he first saw a capsule!' _She noted to herself. "What?" She grinned. "Someone looks confused; never seen a Hoi Poi Capsule before?"

Vegeta couldn't quite work out what had just happened, or rather he couldn't logically see how it was possible! One moment there was nothing but a small object, then the next minute a small building had appeared out of nowhere! The technology on this planet was very bizarre to him; he'd never seen anything like it! "... How did you do that?" He asked intrigued. Perhaps this mud-ball planet had more to it than what met the eye.

Bulma giggled in disbelief and pity. "Wow, you must have been living under the armpit of the planet if you've never seen a Hoi Poi Capsule before! They're little devices which can store any object of any size or form. My father invented them you know! They're a worldwide success; practically everyone has capsules!"

Vegeta perked up on the last two sentences; from the sounds of it she came from a very well-known family – that meant her family had a good status in their society. She was one of the better-off people. At least she had something else besides her looks going for her.

Bulma stepped towards the small building and opened the door, hesitating for a moment. Did this foreigner have anywhere to stay? He too was out in the middle of nowhere which was pretty odd. What was he doing out here anyway? Bulma doubted he had any sort of shelter considering the shock he'd had when she'd thrown her capsule. This wasn't just the only reason why she'd stopped. Her mind had begun to calculate a plan. Bulma assumed this man was single considering how rude and clueless he seemed to be. In one light he appeared quite handsome which surprised Bulma a little; she'd never really felt the way she had for anyone else but Yamcha. Even if she'd laid her eyes on a pleasing-to-look-at-guy, it hadn't felt the same as when it was Yamcha... until now... only somehow it felt... it felt better... What was she thinking? Could Bulma have found someone better than Yamcha on the same day she'd broken up with him? Bulma looked at him over her shoulder, "... As much as you're being a jerk to me, I guess it would be a little unfair for me to leave you out by yourself. Have you got anywhere to stay?"

The Prince turned away and folded his arms defiantly, refusing to make a comment and not really feeling it to be necessary to answer. Why did that matter? Bulma had half expected this reaction and sighed, turning around and leaning against the doorframe with one slender arm half raised. "If you've got nowhere else to go, I'll sort you out a spot on the sofa or something. It wouldn't be fair for me to leave you out in the wilderness by yourself. I'm offering you the chance to have somewhere relatively comfortable to sleep!"

Vegeta looked over at her through the corner of his eyes. Was this some kind of trick? If it was, he was pretty confident it would be nothing he couldn't handle. With that in mind, the prince moved towards her and the house.

Inside her mind Bulma smiled; she'd managed to get him to stay. Now she could move onto the next step of her plan. She still had the chance to get back at Yamcha after all! All she had to do was use some of that feminine charm on him and she was sure she'd have him! She let him pass through ahead of him, unaware that his guard was fully up as he anticipated her to attack him from behind. Obviously the attack never came as Bulma closed the front door. The prince appeared to be observing the room, taking in every minor detail. Bulma couldn't help but remember the first time Goku had been inside a capsule home; he'd been amazed at the fact electricity existed, shocked by the television and confused of what a bath was! Bulma made her way towards the kitchen as her stomach had started to rumble whilst they'd been outside, "are you hungry or thirsty?" She asked, not letting her hostess manners slide even if the man in her home was rude.

Vegeta turned away folding his arms as he continued to look around, not answering her. Bulma sighed and walked into the kitchen, deciding she wasn't going to ask him any more questions. What was the point; she wouldn't get an answer. With that she opened the fridge door and peered through the almost desolate shelves, making a mental note to stock up on food and drink when she returned home. She grabbed a small bottle of alcohol and a slice of cake left over from the last time she'd stayed in her hoi-poi home (half hoping it hadn't gone stale by now!) before swinging the door closed with her hip. When she returned to the living room she was surprised to see he'd taken to leaning against the wall to her left beside the television set, still appearing to look around at his surroundings. Bulma decided not to pay too much mind to his strange behaviour and walked straight over to the sofa, plonking herself down and taking a big gulp of her drink. Her eyes flicked over to him, meeting his dark orbs for the slightest of moments before his turned away.

As soon as their eyes had met, something had stirred within Bulma. She had no idea where it had come from or why but it intrigued her. "...Are you just gonna stand there or are you gonna take a seat?" She asked. "You don't have to be all the way over there... unless of course you want to be." What was the use in trying; it wouldn't get her anywhere. Bulma sighed and took a bite out of the snack she'd prepared herself. She was quickly losing heart with this man and was starting to have doubts about whether or not she really wanted to stick to her plan, as it was beginning to sound more and more like an effort with this man. Was it really worth all this trouble just to get even with Yamcha? Bulma wasn't so sure she was even in the mood anymore.

To her astonishment, Vegeta took one mini step away from the wall before making his way directly towards her, settling himself down on the small chair to the right of the sofa, arms folded and the same stern and cold expression on his face... only there was something about his face which gave off a sense of warmth. It was confusing because of how contradictory the notion was but Bulma could see there was something there... like fire... Or maybe it was the alcohol coursing through her still! Taking another swig of her drink, Bulma felt the need to get a conversation going with this man before it drove her insane. So far she'd been lucky just to get an answer out of him, let alone an actual conversation! She looked down at the contents of her bottle before making a small sigh. Conversations were never too difficult to make with Yamcha, even when something bad had happened in between them. He was just so easy to talk to but this guy here was a puzzle. Bulma wasn't sure if she was up for the challenge but nevertheless she tried:

"Why were you out there all alone?" She asked again. "I had my reasons too you know... what I don't get is where you came from and why you ended up here. Surely you can tell me that much, right?"

"You sure are persistent," Vegeta muttered growing tired of her constant babbling but also slightly curious as to what it was she was drinking. It smelt strange even from where he was sitting, his sense of smell was quite sharp and he felt he recognised the smell from somewhere, or it reminded him of something. His thoughts were deviating from the point and he focused back on her constant questioning. "Why does that matter? It's none of your concern why I'm here." This was true, yet he'd found himself once again asking why he'd entered her house? What was it that had drawn him into this weakling's territory? Was it that he was really planning to use her as a vessel?

Bulma sighed and gave a sad smile. "Wow... I should have expected you to say something like that..." her thoughts began to trail off a little, unbeknownst to her and she started to mumble more to herself than to him though it was loud enough for him to hear. "... To think it's turned out like this... Today has gotta have been one of the worst days of my life! I get cheated on, I plan out my revenge... and it all falls to pieces. I've had more than one accident travelling around today and now I've met possibly the rudest man in the entire world..." She took another sip of her drink, finishing it off before placing the glass down on the coffee table in front of her, turning to look at him. "Now can you honestly say you've had it worse than I have?"

The prince took her words into consideration, a pitiful sneer coming to his face as he looked back at her. "... You have no idea..." he muttered.

Bulma glared angrily at him, furious that he was suggesting her problems in life were nothing. They were anything but nothing! She'd once again been cheated on by her long-term boyfriend, been unable to successfully carry out her plans to get revenge on him, fallen off her motorbike and had her hover bike blow up from underneath her, been unable to return home and be forced to spend the night in a small capsule house in the wilderness with potentially the worst human being possible! Her blood had long passed its boiling point; she just wanted it all to stop. If she'd had the chance, she would have killed Yamcha (metaphorically) for what he'd done for what had to have been the umpteenth time; if she hadn't currently been restraining herself she would have just gotten up and punched this bad-mannered man right between the eyes! What was with everybody? She was about to yell at him when his composure and facial expression stopped her, catching her by surprise. What she was witnessing shocked her. The man had unfolded his arms and had looked down at the space between his feet, looking at the spot with apparent sadness and thought. The sharp and cold glare of his face had softened and begun to show a little more emotion. "... If you think all those things you said are the worst things can get in life then you really don't have any idea..." he mumbled softly. "Try learning that your home has been destroyed, learn that your race has dwindled to a handful, find out that the cause of it all is the monster that holds you in bondage. Try and escape it and you'll meet your end, be constantly mocked and haunted by dreams reflecting desires you know are unlikely to happen. Be patronised and hated by those around you. Maybe then you'll have a clue..."

Bulma frowned and looked down at her lap. From the sounds of things this guy's life wasn't currently too enjoyable either. She looked over towards him, feeling empathetic but also wanting to be able to do something to help him. It was true she didn't know him but that didn't mean she couldn't offer him some sort of support. These were tough times for the both of them so they could at least support one another.

Once again their eyes met, this time for a longer period. This time a sense of uncertainty and a twinge of nervousness hit the Saiyan. There was a look on her face which he was not well accustomed to; a deep, pitiful look of concern. He often came across it during his plights of other worlds and never batted an eye towards it but this time was different. In the past the looks had gone to those trembling under his mighty grasp, this time it was directed at him. The emotions reflecting through her eyes almost scared him; how could someone be so open as to express their own feelings of weakness and fallibility? That was typical of a weakling, no warrior would be weak enough to show their emotions... so did this mean he too was weak? He was confiding in this stranger, this female alien of all people for reasons unknown to him. What was his mind thinking? His pride screamed at him to stop and leave, leave this planet and continue with purging planet Paeri alongside his fellow Saiyan warriors. The higher-order voices scolded him and told him how pathetic he was being for staying with this woman, yet there were other voices telling him to stay in order to put his plan into action. That had been the reason he'd come to this planet after all. His teachings told him to turn away from her but another voice was overriding this and was keeping his eyes fixed to hers. He was struggling, he felt almost as if he couldn't stop it.

Bulma was experiencing similar thoughts, only she was more concerned with understanding him more, intrigued by his story. Part of her told her to stop before things got out of hand, reminding her that Yamcha would be upset if and when he found out. Yet other voices had control over her and persuaded her to continue. She couldn't stop herself, she couldn't help it. They both seemed to be going through the same thing; both needed comfort and support, both needed a release of some sort. She couldn't stop her mouth from opening, nor could she stop the words from coming out.

"We're both trapped," she mumbled almost as if she were in a trance, slowly edging off the sofa towards him. "... Maybe there's a way out..."

Her hand extended out towards him, the prince watching as it slipped over the top of his, her fingers limply hanging around his palm. He was in awe at how soft her hands were, in awe that he'd let her do something so foolish and not paid the price for it, in awe that he was letting it happen. What was going on in that head of his; his mind was racing, overloaded with conflicting thoughts. He needed answers; he needed to be free of the madness, even if it was just for a moment. He wanted to kill Freeza so badly but this desire was frustrated to the breaking point because of his inadequate strength. The fact continued to haunt him, dangled in front of his face, Freeza's voice jeering at him. It had to stop. He wanted to escape it, he wanted it to stop!

One more look into those blue eyes was all it took. It was going to be her.

Bulma couldn't help it; the look in his eyes said it all. Forgetting Yamcha, ignoring the voices hounding her to stop, she decided enough was enough. She found herself moving forwards head-first, lips slowly parting, eyelids falling. Unbeknown to her, he too had given in and began to move towards her. Lips brushed and met softly for a moment, parting before brushing once more. Bodies gradually moved closer together, arms wrapping around the other as they fell to the floor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Origins of a Saiyan Princess**

**Chapter 05 – Return to melancholy days**

The sun's rays drifted through the windows, falling gracefully upon the floor. Items of clothing lay scattered across the living room intact but roughly slung due to the urgency of the previous night. On the sofa Bulma slept peacefully, almost completely covered by a blanket she'd managed to drag out from the storage cupboard during the night's events. Her peaceful face twitched and she winced, slowly opening one bloodshot eye. For a moment it appeared she had no idea where she was. Then it occurred to her. She quickly sat up, blanket sliding down her body. She looked around the room.

Where was he? She couldn't see him at all. Confusion began to envelop her alongside with the panging sensation in her head and the soreness of certain areas of her body. The alcohol consumed was now doing a number on her head and stomach. Last night was almost a blur to her but Bulma knew what had happened. She'd certainly got her own back on that disloyal boyfriend of hers. The only thing now was what had happened to the man she'd been with during the night? None of his clothes were on the floor and she hadn't heard him get up or even leave.

Perhaps it was all for the best. She hadn't meant for it to have become serious anyway so perhaps his absence was the best thing for it. Though the voice in her head scolded her for the idea she'd been so certain of, Bulma rose to her feet and towards the kitchen via picking up the individual clothes scattered across the floor. She needed a coffee or something to perk her up so she could return home.

Space surrounded him; the never-ending cloak of pure darkness broken only by the tiny light of the stars. He'd woken far earlier than he had – hell, he'd barely even slept. Once he'd been certain she was asleep, he had made his exit, left the small house and returned to his craft. From there he'd ordered the computer to continue with the next phase of the mission; rendezvous with his two Saiyan henchmen on planet Paeri to purge the planet of its inhabitants and sell it. As the ship had left the atmosphere of the beautiful blue planet, the prince had uttered a few words before he'd been knocked out by the static spray. "I will return."

Bulma had eventually returned home after walking into town on foot before hailing down a bus which got her into the city centre. From there she'd walked home, feet sore and throbbing at the end of it. All in all, the journey had taken her three and a half hours due to her having to hobble on bruised, achy legs. She'd arrived home to the cheerfulness of her mother who'd naturally queried her about her night and the things she'd gotten up to with Yamcha, asking how Yamcha was. Bulma didn't have the willpower or the energy to tell her mother she'd broken up with that jerk yet again and instead insisted the night had been alright and mentioning how tired she was. She'd managed to hide her injuries thanks to the jacket and jeans she'd deliberately chosen to wear, even if she had ended up baking in them as once again West City was caught in the midst of the immense heat wave. A quick shower and then she was off to bed to gain back those lost hours she so desperately needed.

As she headed back to her room, Bulma realised her mother was approaching her with one of the many house phones in hand. "Bulma dear, Yamcha's on the phone. He wants to talk to you sweetie."

"Tell him he'll have to wait," Bulma responded gruffly, a tired look etched across her face. "I'm going to bed to catch up on some more sleep."

"You sure you're ok dear?" Mrs Brief asked dotingly. "You do look a little under the weather."

"It's just a hangover mama," Bulma whined, striding past her mother and wandering into her room, shutting the door behind her and collapsing onto the mattress. Thoughts raced through her mind as the events of last night once again replayed over and over again in her head. Now she felt a slight fool. Had she known she would be left feeling this way in the morning, she was certain she would not have gone through with her plan. The events of last night were ones she didn't wish to repeat; just how did Yamcha used to do all that without feeling a shred of remorse afterwards? She didn't get it. Sure the sex itself had been alright; it had been exciting to have been with someone new, someone who wasn't Yamcha, though it made Bulma miss him all the more. Had her younger self seen her last night, she'd have denied she could stoop so low. Bulma did regret going through with it all but there was nothing she could do about it now. Part of her wished she and Yamcha hadn't argued last night; things could have turned out so different...

The thoughts replayed through her mind until eventually exhaustion consumed her and Bulma fell asleep.

A couple of months passed. During this time, Bulma had pushed her one-night stand to the back of her mind and had decided just to get on with life. Work continued as normal and she kept to her busy schedule. Since their argument she and Yamcha had barely spoken face-to-face though things seemed to be getting slowly back to normal. Yamcha still insisted Bulma had been mistaken and the more he stuck to his story, the more Bulma began to wonder whether it had been her fault the two had split up. She tried to keep her mind free from such doubtful thoughts and dedicated more of her time to her work, something her father quickly picked up on. (He'd noticed anytime Bulma suddenly started focusing on work was usually a time she and Yamcha were having difficulties! Wisely he chose not to pry into it too much!) The summer days were long gone and autumn had set in; the days becoming shorter and the temperature dropping. By now it had reached late October.

The brown, yellow and orange leaves of the increasingly bare trees were practically covering the pavements due to their sheer volume. The streets of West City were still busy, albeit it was mainly business workers and those on their breaks who walked down passing shops, checking in to buy food or head for their next meeting. The Capsule Corp building was as busy as ever as the demand for new and better technology continued. However, a certain turquoise-haired heiress was taking the day off... or rather she'd discharged herself for the rest of the day due to some personal problems.

It had finally occurred to her a couple of weeks back and the continuous absence of it had begun to concern her. It had scared her. When she'd finally plucked up the courage to test herself, she'd secretively gone down to the chemist making sure no one she or her parents knew saw her. She didn't want to alarm her parents about a possibility if it turned out to be a false alarm. Once she'd arrived home, she'd gone up to the bathroom and locked herself away in there for at least forty-five minutes.

The results had been what she'd feared and had confirmed her suspicions. She knew there'd had to be a reason for her being so late.

Bulma was pregnant. Bulma was pregnant by nine and a half weeks.

What was she to do? She wasn't in the best position to be raising a baby right now; she was only twenty-three and still felt so young at heart. She had financial support thanks to her father's company – which in her own right she was earning a wage from by working alongside him – so that was one less concern. However there were far more worrying factors that plagued her mind. She and Yamcha had not been together since that argument so there was no way it was his. From what she could recall from that night a couple of months ago, she had been using contraception though the night was mostly a blur thanks to the alcohol and the passing of time. How would her parent's react when they found out the news? How would Yamcha feel once he found out not only had she seen someone else in their break but she'd also become impregnated by this man. It would break him for sure. Bulma couldn't do that to him. It had been a terrible idea to have gone out and tried to teach him a lesson, she hadn't even told him of the event!

Her options were limited and ultimately led to a choice of two paths she could follow. Number one was to get an abortion. She was twenty-three and didn't feel mature enough to become a mother. The thought was daunting and filled her with anxiety she knew would not be helpful. However could she really set aside the potential life of something growing inside of her? Knowing it was there had automatically led to a twinge of attachment and Bulma wasn't sure whether she could go through with the procedure or not. The other option was parenthood – more specifically motherhood raising a child with no father. It seemed the more frightening option to her; the sheer amount of responsibility she would suddenly wield was daunting and fearful. As of now she was certain she was leaning a little more to option one.

She kept the news silent to herself for another couple of days, attempting to go about her everyday activities without becoming too noticed by either of her parents. This was something she knew would be far easier said than done as the facts circled constantly in her mind, reminding her of the important life-changing decision she would have to make. Whatever she decided to do she'd have to choose fast. With each passing day the chance for an abortion grew shorter and shorter and her guilt for the living parasite inside of her possibly being destroyed grew larger and larger. She spent many nights struggling to sleep which in turn took its toll on her work. She was increasingly agitated and was beginning to make mistakes in the labs, mistakes she should not have been making. It would only be a matter of time before either her mother or father confronted her as always.

It didn't take any more than ten days before finally Dr Brief made a move, approaching his daughter at the end of a busy Friday when staff were getting ready to leave for home. Bulma was about to leave the room herself after a relatively event-free day; it'd felt like forever since she'd had a day where she hadn't done something stupid. Unfortunately for her she noticed her father approaching just as she was turning on her heels, catching his eye as she rotated on the spot. A lump lurched in her throat as her heart began to thump in anticipation. He had that sort of look, the look only a concerned father could give. She knew what was coming.

"Been a productive day today hasn't it sweetie?" Dr Brief cheerfully made small-talk as an attempt to lessen the pressure on his daughter. It was a technique both sides knew he would often use just before questioning someone. "Incident-free; a great way to end the working week!"

"Y-Yeah," Bulma nodded folding her arms. "... I know you didn't come here for small-talk, papa. What's on your mind? What's the real reason you're here?"

Dr Brief smiled for a short space of time; indeed it appeared his actions over the years were getting easier and easier for both his wife and daughter to read! He sensed no point in beating about the bush and decided just to approach the situation head-on. "Nothing slips past your notice I see. At least I know that part of you is still ok. You seem to be a little distracted as of late, that's all. Did something bad happen with Yamcha? Neither of you two have really spoken since the night you both went out into town!"

"Everything's fine papa," Bulma replied, a tone of fatigue in her voice. "Yamcha and I are fine."

"... You don't seem to be talking to one another," Dr Brief responded concerned. "He hasn't come over once in the past few weeks or so and you've been very focused on your work as of late. You do realise your behaviour follows certain patterns whenever you and Yamcha are going through a rough phase-"

"Papa, it's all fine. Everything between me and Yamcha is fine," Bulma interrupted a little more sternly than before, her voice more full of life this time. "We're just on a small break, that's all. It's mutual."

Dr Brief didn't fully digress but rather stepped back slightly. "... Right, ok sweetie. Well if you're sure everything's ok then I have nothing to worry about." With that the aging doctor strode past his daughter and out of the room, leaving a frantic-minded Bulma to her own thoughts. That had been awkward but she was surprised her father had backed down so quickly. Perhaps she'd given away more than she'd meant to. _'Oh well, not much I can do about it now...'_ She mused to herself. She hadn't allowed herself to give much thought to Yamcha in the past few weeks though things were getting harder and harder for her to deal with alone. Perhaps she should just get back in contact with him and maybe even confide in him. A voice in her mind screamed at her to stop thinking such silly thoughts. Yamcha was probably the last person she needed to tell about her pregnancy!

Speaking of which she hadn't decided yet on what her choice was going to be. She now had two whole days ahead of her to figure it out; she knew she'd have to act swiftly before the window for one of her options closed. Truth of the matter was the more she thought about it, the more she found herself growing strangely used to the idea of motherhood. Sure it was crazy to just go with the flow and let it happen, especially since she didn't feel mature enough to cope with a bouncing baby totally reliant on her for everything, but the fact of the matter was it gave Bulma a sense of anticipation and excitement. She hadn't been challenged much in any way through her work so perhaps her challenges could be provided through becoming a mother and juggling a work-life and motherhood?

Bulma exhaled exasperated. Who was she kidding? She couldn't make such a rash decision without consulting her parents about it. She'd need their help and support anyway; currently her father was training her as the vice-president of Capsule Corp, a job which required long work hours and dedication. She couldn't ignore just how much time her baby would need from her and how much it would impede her ability to work efficiently at work.

Bulma suddenly stopped in her tracks. She was thinking about how to juggle work and the baby. Did that mean she'd just made her decision?

'_No... I don't know...'_ She tossed back and forth once again between the two ideas. Then a third popped into her head; adoption. She could put the baby up for adoption! _'No, I couldn't do that to it. That's not fair on it at all...' _She scolded herself. Arguing with herself was getting her nowhere. As much as she'd dreaded coming to this conclusion and dreaded the thought of having to go through with it, Bulma realised she would indeed have to sit down with her mother and discuss her options with her.

The chirpy woman wouldn't be difficult to find; she normally floated somewhere around the living quarters of the large domed building though often she would venture out and return with wonderful surprises such as cake, clothes for her daughter (which Bulma appreciated but wasn't entirely pleased to see at times due to their differing sense of fashion!), or stories from neighbours. She was very much an indoors woman and enjoyed company so if she wasn't at home she was sure to be meeting up with the girls at a nearby cafe or restaurant as they flaunted their riches. Bulma readied herself and went to seek out her mother. Most of the time Mrs Brief came across as cheery and air-headed but unbeknownst to most who'd meet her, the woman's head was full of sound and sage-like advice about life. If anyone were to have any troubles or woes about something, Bulma's mother was the woman to go to. She always gave fantastic advice and seemed to send people down the right path. It felt strange being on the receiving end of this advice for once but Bulma knew if anyone could help her, it would be her.

Winding her way through the many twists and corridors until finally she came to the living quarters of the building where her family took residence. She was little surprised to find her mother nibbling daintily on a small collection of cakes and biscuits whilst reading a magazine. The light-reading quickly took a place on the sofa as Mrs Brief noticed her daughter enter the room, that same, unwavering smile ever present on her face. "Good evening dear, how was work?" She chirped.

Bulma groaned a little to herself as she perched herself on the edge of the sofa. "Good I guess," She mumbled.

"Well why don't you join me; don't these cakes look delicious darlin'?"

"Actually mama..." Bulma was hesitant. She was starting to have second thoughts about this whole ordeal and whether or not she wanted to let her mother in on her secret. How would she react when she found out her daughter was pregnant and that the baby was not Yamcha's? How would she respond if Bulma decided she wanted to keep it, or if she wanted an abortion? Would she tell her father? Of course she would, it was just as much his business as it was her mother's. Bulma dreaded to find out what ever of them would say to her; she knew they weren't the strictest of parents and would support her no matter what her decision may be, yet she felt she'd let them down by becoming pregnant in the first pace! She'd used protection as she'd always been taught and still she'd been knocked up!

"Bulma dear, what's wrong?" Mrs Brief asked noticing the torment and turmoil in her daughter's eyes. "What is it? Has Yamcha done something, or your father?"

"Mama..." Bulma desperately sniffed back the looming tears threatening to overwhelm her. This was not the time to be losing her head, she had to stay focused. Taking a small breath and breathing out deeply she tried again, "Mama I need some help."

"What with?" Mrs Brief shuffled closer and grabbed onto one of Bulma's hands, gently pressing it between both of her own.

"I might have done something a little stupid," Bulma responded unsure of how she was going to put her issue across to her mother. "... I'm pregnant, mama."

Mrs Brief's face paled a little though her expression did not change. Quickly she lit up and shrieked throwing her arms around her daughter and laughing with joy. "Aww my little darling! There's no need to get so worked up about that! When did it happen? How long? Oh we'll have to start planning for another room to be made up, now what will we need? What decorations should we put in there? Oh, we'll need plenty of baby clothes and a crèche and lots of toys! Oh Bulma this is wonderful!"

"Mama, I'm not finished yet," Bulma interrupted desperate to stop her mother before she got too involved and excited about becoming a grandmother. "Mama it's not as simple as that."

"Oh? Haven't you told Yamcha yet?" Mrs Brief asked leaning back slightly and releasing her daughter from her tight grip, though her hands remained on Bulma's shoulders.

"Well actually the baby isn't his..." Bulma responded nervously. This time her mother's face paled and did not immediately bounce back, one hand falling from Bulma's shoulder though the other remained in place. That was more the response Bulma had been expecting and already the guilt was starting to bite at her insides. She could see her mother was a little disappointed in her as the thoughts raced through her mind.

"... Right..." Mrs Brief had lost a fair bit of enthusiasm. "... So what are you going to do, dear? Your father and I will support you with whatever decision you decide to make. I'm sorry dear, I got ahead of myself, I should have asked first!"

"No, I should have just told you before you could get excited," Bulma shook her head. "I came to you because I don't know what to do. Yamcha and papa don't know about this yet and I'd rather they heard it from me and not you, so could you keep this a secret for the time being?"

"Sure dear," Mrs Brief nodded; Bulma knew inside she was beginning to feel the pressure. Her mother was a gossip and wasn't too fantastic at keeping secrets! "This is all such a shock... Your father and I had our suspicions about you and Yamcha not talking much. What happened?"

"Well I thought he'd cheated on me," Bulma replied. "... Honestly I'm not so sure; he hasn't been his usual cheating self trying to win me back over." She didn't want to admit it could have been her in the wrong accusing him of cheating but her pride would not let her. She had far more pressing things to worry about such as the baby growing inside of her and what her options were! "Mama, what should I do?"

"That's a decision you and you alone can make sweetie," Mrs Brief answered gravely, her hand returning to her daughter's and squeezing it gently once more. "I won't pry too much more into this but I'll be here to support you, alright dear?"

Bulma frowned and nodded. She hadn't quite gotten the response she'd been looking for after all. Her mother hadn't given her one direction or another; indeed it seemed it was all up to Bulma to make her own decisions. This was one decision she did not want to have the responsibility to make!


	6. Chapter 6

**Origins of a Saiyan Princess**

**Chapter 06 – Future Plans**

It had been another week since Bulma had confided in her mother. She'd also told her father of the situation; he'd responded in much the same way her mother had and gave Bulma his blessing, not that she was looking for it. It was nice to know her parents would support her but it didn't help her to make her decision at all! The deadline for abortion was closing in fast and Bulma knew she had to make a fast decision but she couldn't help but toss back and forth between her options! This was insane! She was normally able to make critical decisions under large amounts of pressure in a flash and not have any second thoughts; why was this one so different?

Then when she thought she could not feel so alone and insecure, Yamcha finally made contact with her. It had been a couple of months since they'd had their spat and had not spoken to each other since. Now he was making the first step and Bulma couldn't have felt any more awful for him and for herself. Soon she'd be showing her pregnancy as her stomach would expand. He'd start to ask questions and she'd have to explain to him it had been her who'd gone off this time with someone else. She couldn't put herself up to do it; telling him would break his heart and destroy whatever it was they'd had!

Her dreams were starting to become plagued with arguments with him; others were of her choosing to keep or lose the baby and freakish consequences arising from both scenarios. She knew the dreams were dreams and that her brain was trying to find solutions as she slept, yet being woken by deformed-babies calling her mother or from shouting or crying because of Yamcha was not helping Bulma at all. She could feel her health starting to suffer which in turn would affect the baby. She needed to sleep properly and eat properly in case she decided to keep it. She didn't want it to suffer just because of her and her indecisiveness.

Her decision would soon be made though not entirely in her best interests.

The early autumn had set in by the time Yamcha made his first visit to Capsule Corp in what had been almost three months of absence. The slight chill of the morning air drifted around in a light breeze but the heat of the city was enough to keep the inhabitants relatively warm. Yamcha strode down the pathway and passed through the main entrance, greeting the receptionist who greeted him back, the two making idle chatter. Eventually Yamcha continued on his journey to the living quarters of the building, quickly bumping into Mrs Brief.

"Good morning," Yamcha politely greeted the cheerful blonde, though to his confusion he wasn't immediately met with the cheery response. Mrs Brief looked slightly shocked to see him but it lasted only for an instant; quickly the usual smile and lively banter started.

"Good morning Yamcha, how lovely to see you again dear! Bulma's in the laboratories fixing up some hover bikes. I'll let her know you're on your way."

"No need to, I'll just pop in and surprise her," Yamcha smiled. "It was nice to see you again!" As he passed her by and headed down the corridors for the labs, the woman's reaction to him played on his mind a little. What had Bulma said about him to her? No, if he was going to come over to forgive her for her behaviour and make up with her, he had to be in a positive mind. He didn't want to lose her for good; Bulma was just too special to him. Yamcha strode along the maze of narrow rooms and eventually passed through into the large laboratory which housed the faulty modes of transport waiting to be fixed. Sure enough Bulma was down there on the lower level though to his surprise she was alone in the corner; a couple of colleagues working across the room on something separate. He wandered along the overlooking level and down the stairs. The murmurs from the colleagues who'd spotted the man caught the attention of the woman he was heading towards and she glanced up away from her work spotting him.

Bulma'd been happily losing herself in her work. She'd had to double take when she'd spotted Yamcha making his way over to her, heart suddenly starting to thump wildly. This wasn't the best time for him to be making an appearance! She was surprised to see he had not bought anything with him; his hands were not carrying presents or flowers as they usually would when he'd come to make up with her. It struck a bad chord in her but Bulma ignored it for in reality she felt deep inside she was probably the one at fault this time. Maybe she'd thought too much and hadn't listened to what Yamcha'd been trying to tell her because of the past...

"Hey," Yamcha now stood half a metre from her, Bulma'd now turned her entire body to face him, leaning on the counter slightly though not too much in fear of her stomach sticking out. She hadn't reached that phase yet but she felt very self-conscious of it.

"Hi," She responded. "What are you doing here?"

Yamcha chuckled, "Gosh, I was expecting a little more of a happy response from you. I figured it was about time we tried to work this problem of ours out."

"Hmm..." Bulma nodded a little folding her arms. She grew more conscious as Yamcha stepped forward a little and began to rub the back of his head sheepishly looking a little uncertain on how to start or what the best way to approach the situation was. Bulma couldn't help but feel it would quickly be wasted; she knew she'd have to tell him sooner or later about her one-night stand and the child that had resulted from that night. She wasn't looking forward to it but she knew it had to be done.

"So... Um..." Yamcha stammered. Bulma was being unusually quiet considering the conversation topic. She'd always grown cross when he'd approached her in the past and had started to get riled and agitated whenever he'd come to apologise before eventually putting up some ground rules, telling him how hurt she'd been and eventually forgiving him. This time was different and Yamcha wasn't sure why, unless she'd come to her senses and realised he hadn't done anything wrong. He didn't have the nerve to mention he'd been seeing someone else briefly during their time apart; things had not worked out with the girl and Yamcha'd realised just how much he'd missed Bulma.

Bulma couldn't act as if there was nothing wrong or act as she always had with Yamcha in the past. The pressure of the news she bore was too strong and she needed to let it out. "Look Yamcha, before we say anything else there's something I need to tell you."

"I know, it's ok," Yamcha replied.

Bulma's eyes widened in horror. He knew? "B-But h-how?" She spluttered. "How do you know? Who-"

"I know you now realise I didn't cheat on you, how could I after all those other times?" Yamcha butted in, "Look Bulma, I love you. I was stupid in the past and I promised you I'd never be doing anything like that to you again. Well I meant it, I meant every word of it. I don't want to lose you and I don't want to be fighting with you anymore. We both got carried away in the moment and said some stupid things. Let's just both forget what happened and move on; we're too good together to be worrying about what someone said and what the other said."

"Yamcha, I really can't-" Bulma started.

"No, we can do this," Yamcha interrupted looking her in the eye with remorse and worry. "I know we can get past this. You've forgiven me for what I did in the past and this time I forgive you, I guess I can't blame you for thinking what you did but the truth is I didn't do anything, I did not cheat on you."

"Yamcha please let me talk!" Bulma spoke slightly louder than before. "This isn't the best place for us to be having this conversation. Can we go some place a little more private where prying ears won't hear?" She nudged her head towards the workers across the other side of the room, both of which quickly slouched down and frantically continued working on the machine before them.

"Ok, wherever you want is fine by me," Yamcha nodded. He was led back up onto the overlooking panel and through the door, Bulma leading him to an empty corridor outside the conference rooms where she knew no one would be working. The place was normally desolate save the times companies would be visiting to discuss trade, products or new ideas. At least here they'd be given some privacy.

Bulma turned back to face him and took in a small breath, "I really wish you'd called to tell me you were coming."

"I know, I wanted to surprise you though," Yamcha replied inching a little closer to her though not too near. Past experience had taught him no physical contact until she'd forgiven him and even then it was best to let her make the first move just to be sure! "Bulma, I don't want us to be apart. I love you and I know you still love me."

"Yamcha please," Bulma interrupted putting one hand softly on his mouth, "I really, really need you to stop and listen to me." The confused look on his face was followed by a nod and Bulma continued. This was it, this was make or break. Her heart was beating like crazy inside her ribs, the adrenaline coursing through her blood adding to the feelings of anxiety and fear she felt having to tell him. She had no choice, she had to do it now. "... Things aren't gonna be the same Yamcha. I do love you, I really do, which is why this is gonna be really painful to tell you..." She drew a small breath, almost choking on it as it hitched in her throat. "I-I'm with child." She spluttered, not daring to look him in the eye. "I did something really stupid and now I'm pregnant. You can hate me all you want for it, I know this is really hard for you to hear and it's really hard for me to have to tell you but it's the truth."

She dared to peek. Her heart sank when she saw the look of disbelief and disappointment on his face. She may as well have just stabbed him in the face and ripped his heart out of his chest as far as she was concerned. She'd never in a million years have imagined she'd be the one to make Yamcha pull that face, to hurt him this much. The disappointment was slowly being replace with anger and hurt though it took him a while before he responded with words.

"Bulma..." He started out, "... Is it mine?"

Bulma didn't say anything. She thought she'd already made the answer to that question clear; otherwise why would she have mentioned making mistakes and finding it hard to tell him.

"... Bulma, is it mine?" This time his voice was full of authority. Bulma's lack of response drove his suspicions further home and Yamcha felt a lump sink inside of him. It felt as if he was being dragged down underwater by something he could not overcome, the feeling was absolutely dreadful and for the first time he realised he could fully appreciate why Bulma'd always yelled at him in the past for cheating. This time he was on the receiving end of the news. Yamcha wasn't sure himself how he was about to react, he'd never been in this situation before. Hypothetically he'd have suggested he'd be upset but have forgiven her; this was Bulma after all. However now it was real and it was happening and Yamcha seriously doubted right now he could just forgive and forget. All those years she'd grilled him for being unfaithful and here she was doing the same thing!

"... Yamcha, I'm really sorry," Bulma apologised avoiding any eye contact with him. "It didn't mean anything and I didn't plan to get pregnant."

A small chuckle came from his throat which surprised Bulma enough to make her glance up once more. Yamcha shook his head and chuckled, taking a step back and pushing himself against the wall. "Of all the things to say, this you choose to tell me? You've got some nerve preaching to me about how faithful you are, you know that? Darn... Geez Bulma, was this some sort of plan to show me just how it feels to be cheated on or something? I gotta tell you it's really opened my eyes..." He leaned off the wall and turned to her again, the anger coming through in his glance overpowering the sorrow and heart-break. The look made Bulma's neck hairs stand on end as anxiety pulsed through her body. "You're right, that was really difficult for me to hear. I guess I'll be leaving now."

"W-Wait Yamcha!" Bulma called as the ex-bandit spun on his heels and started to stride down the corridors, his strides far larger than Bulma's forcing her to break into a trot. "I know it was stupid and I'm sorry! Darn it I forgave you; are you saying you can't do the same?"

"Forgave me?" Yamcha repeated spinning back to face her, Bulma coming to an abrupt halt. The anger was taking control of him, though it wasn't purely down to the fact she'd cheated; there was far more contributing to it. "You'd remind me constantly for a couple more weeks and drive home how hurt you'd been! How can I even begin to imagine forgiving you for how badly you always made me feel? I always told you how sorry I'd been and you'd still drag me face-first through the dirt reminding me of how I'd done you wrong! Do you even know how horrible that felt! I'm not saying what I did was any better but you really did not make it easy! Tell me why should I treat you any different, miss faithful?"

"Look you said yourself you didn't want us to be apart, you said let's forgive and forget, now did you actually mean any of that?" Bulma retaliated finding herself growing cross with the man. The anger could not be good for the baby but what other choice did she have; it was anger or crying and right now she was ready to fight. "We've both done stupid things before, right? I'm not saying what I did was smart, I'm not saying what I did wasn't as bad as what you did! I knew you'd be hurt and I knew I had to be honest with you, just as you must have done in the past. I'm not even sure if I'll be keeping this baby or not-"

"Oh of course, it's all fine when you're the cheater; we should all forgive and forget yet when it's the other way around let's just remind the cheater of what they've done," Yamcha snorted. "Of course, that's just typical Bulma, typical of you to have it two ways! You can't have it both ways! Well I hope you're happy with yourself; you managed to get revenge on me and get knocked up in the process!"

"Hey, I wasn't planning to get myself pregnant!" Bulma snapped. "I used contraception and this still happened so don't you dare say I did it just to spite you!"

"Whatever, I was stupid to have come here!" Yamcha grumbled once again turning on his heels and beginning to stride down the corridor, though he quickly came to a halt and glanced over his shoulder, "Get your abortion and be happy, just don't expect me to be too receptive to you Bulma! You've got a lot of making up to do!"

Bulma crossed her brow. "Hey, who said I was getting an abortion anyway?"

"Let's face it, you're Bulma!" Yamcha snorted spitefully. "You go around getting revenge and when you get knocked up, you'll just go into the clinic and get an abortion and then go back to your self-obsessed world where nothing is your fault! At the end of the day, the only person you really care about is yourself!"

"That's not true and you know it!" Bulma snapped agitated. "For all you know I might be keeping this baby!"

"Of course you will!" Yamcha leered wryly. "Who are you trying to kid? You can't look after something that takes up so much of your time; you're still far too concerned making sure you and only you are happy! Your life is full of things that revolve around you; whenever you're not working you're with friends whenever it suits you, then when you're working you have no time for them! You haven't even bothered to get in contact with me at all because you're too absorbed in your own selfish life! Everything is all about you, no one else! You'd make an awful mother anyway, do yourself and that brat a favour and go back to your busy, self-fulfilling life – Just don't expect me in it!"

"Alright that's it!" Bulma shouted fed-up and furious. "You think I can't look after someone else? You think I'd be a poor mother? I doubt you'd be any better a father! I'm glad you're leaving and glad to see you have so much faith in me!"

"There we go again, talking about yourself once more!" Yamcha retaliated. "I'm outta here. Do whatever you want Bulma." With that he left. Bulma bit hard on her lower lip trying not to respond; a response would warrant a retaliation from him and right now she didn't want to hear his voice anymore. Her heart was thumping in her chest, her arms trembling by her sides. For a while she stood leaning against the wall by herself, replaying the conversation that'd just happened. Then eventually the anger slowly diffused, replaced by an overwhelming need to burst into tears, so she did. For a while Bulma sat with her knees to her head sobbing quietly to herself. Things had not gone as she'd hoped they would but she had expected this to happen. Yamcha was gone.

Her thoughts went back to what she'd last said to him. She'd talked the talk, now was she prepared to back up her words and walk the walk? This child, though not planned, was still half of her, half mysterious-and-strange-foreign man. What had she been thinking? How would she even begin to provide for this baby she'd neither planned or even wanted originally. Now it was one of the few things going in her life that could possibly make her happy. Having the abortion seemed the obvious and easy answer but Yamcha's words had struck a chord in her and had dug deep. How dare he suggest she was so self-centred she'd be a terrible mother! She knew deep inside when the time'd come, she'd devote a fair share of her time to her baby. The only question was, was she ready to be a mother at her age. She was in her mid-twenties and still training to become the eventual President of Capsule Corp; was now seriously a good time to be bearing a child?

Juggling a family-life (or what was going to be the closest thing to a family life Bulma'd probably now get) and work sounded a real challenge. Strangely enough it intrigued her. She could do it; she thrived under high-stress environments and to come home to something equally as challenging sounded interesting. She knew her parents would support her and she'd give the child all the attention she could. Were her reasons feasible? Were they rational? Was it right to go through with the pregnancy just for the challenge? Or was she now doing it to spite Yamcha more?

Mrs Brief was sat as usual in the living room, this time drinking tea and browsing through a catalogue of clothes, phone close at hand in preparation to order. The sound of footsteps caught her attention and she glanced up, Bulma at the door. The redness of her eyes alarmed her mother and Mrs Brief shot up. "Bulma dear, I bumped into Yamcha earlier..."

"Yeah, we spoke and it didn't go well," Bulma was way ahead of her mother. She walked into the room and fell onto the sofa, slumped against the cushions.

"Sorry dear, I did offer to call you to let you know he was here but Yamcha insisted..." Mrs Brief frowned feeling a little guilty.

"It's alright mama..." Bulma sighed closing her eyes. "... Yamcha and I aren't getting back together... and I'm gonna have this baby."

Mrs Brief perked up at the last part of the sentence and sat up straight. "... You sure dear? There's still adoption available if you don't want an abor-"

"No, I'm going to keep it," Bulma responded, eyes still closed. "Sure I know nothing about her father, nor will I probably ever track him down for the upkeep of the baby but money's not really the issue... I can't get rid of it. I can't force myself to do that."

"I don't want to sound like I'm trying to put you off but have you really thought this through?" Mrs Brief asked nervously. "Bulma the baby won't be born into a happy family for one; we don't know anything about the father's health or medical history. You don't have to keep it, you really don't. Please don't feel you're being forced into this."

"I know I'm not and I know we know absolutely nothing about the father," Bulma replied finally opening her eyes and sitting up straight. "I don't care about all that. I just want this baby. It's one of the few good things that seem to be going for me. I've just lost my boyfriend of seven years, I'm an emotional wreck thanks to the barrage of different hormones streaming through my body and right now I need something to look forward to! Supporting it is no problem, really. I'll dedicate all the time the baby demands of me..." She chuckled to herself. "I sound so stupid and irrational but this is what I want, mama. I know none of what I'm saying is making sense!"

Mrs Brief nodded, perhaps now it was best not to say anything more. She knew once her daughter'd made up her mind about something it was difficult to change it... Even if right now she wasn't certain her daughter really appreciated the strains motherhood would leave on her.

Bulma was going to be a mum.


	7. Chapter 7

**Origins of a Saiyan Princess**

**Chapter 07 – The Saiyans Revenge**

The ship had travelled twelve days through the dark reaches of space before it had landed at its final destination Planet Paeri, just as the computer had said. The journey had not been long compared to many the Saiyan had already taken in his life so to him, the limited time he'd been in the static mist felt as if she'd taken a nap rather than slept. The ship descended into the murky yellow skies surrounding Planet Paeri. The landing was by no means comfortable but the ship crashed in one piece. The door swung open and Vegeta stepped out, realising he'd in fact landed in some sort of boggy terrain. A slight look of disgust and agitation overcame him as he dragged himself free from the mud and found more solid ground. The planet itself did not seem to be particularly pleasant or hospitable from what Vegeta could see but he could breathe with no trouble. Freeza must have known something more about this planet than its appearance let on. He'd been given this planet in particular because of the strong inhabitants it housed.

Pressing the small button upon his scouter, the glass screen flickered as symbols flashed before him. A group of decent-levelled warriors were somewhere to the east, at least one-hundred kilometres away from his present position. Nearby were two combat powers he recognised immediately. Nappa and Raditz had started the party without him. Without a second thought Vegeta leapt up into the air and headed across the land to meet with his fellow Saiyans. This would be a fight he would not miss out on.

It took the Saiyans a mere couple of days to eliminate all life on Planet Paeri and soon more of Freeza's forces closed in onto the planet. Indeed Freeza had been in the know; the planet was full of raw materials that were in high demand, something Freeza could use as part of the planet trade and make use for his own devices. The planet was converted into a make-shift factory with many slaves from captured races working to mine and dig out the precious materials. Life for the Saiyans did not get any easier and all-too-soon Vegeta found himself stuck with missions that weren't challenging, many of which took a single day for he himself to complete.

It seemed Freeza was keeping tabs on him and the others which infuriated the Saiyan warrior. If he was to have any chance of beating Freeza he would need to be far stronger than this; it was almost as if Freeza was deliberately keeping the challenges down so Vegeta would not grow too strong too fast. Freeza was no fool and Vegeta knew it; he just had to bide his time somehow and hope for a chance to appear. Anything that would give him the opportunity to grow stronger and overtake Freeza in power. Reality was harsh; he knew that such a chance would require a miracle. Miracles did not happen for him; he alone was the only person capable of making things happen for him and he had to be patient.

Finally after months of torment from easy assignments, Vegeta, Nappa and Raditz were once again called together to complete another assignment, this time on the planet Shikk. The trio left immediately, landing upon the planet within a week. To their shock and indeed their excitement, the inhabitants posed a decent threat and it took the trio a couple of days to clean the planet of its original inhabitants before finally they returned.

Three ships crashed against the padded landing pads with a heavy thud. The doors to each individual pod opened and the three warriors strode out from their little ships, greeted by a small fleet of soldiers who were largely ignored.

"What a waste of exercise that was, I'm starting to get a crick in my neck from sitting around so much!" Nappa snorted stretching out his neck as they wandered down the corridors.

"Maybe we should demand that Freeza find you a bigger pod," Raditz mused to himself. "Perhaps we should go and pick one out for you right now!"

"Nah, you know we've gotta report back to Lord Freeza first!" Nappa chuckled. "Can you believe how fast we banged up that planet? I'll bet Freeza will give us a huge reward!"

Vegeta did not join in the banter with his fellow Saiyans, his mind was focused on other things. It'd been a year now since their last decent assignment on Planet Paeri, so that had meant it'd been a year since he'd made that quick stop to whatever planet he'd visited. Had his plan been successful? He couldn't be too sure and he had little desire to quickly pop in and see whether or not things were working in his favour. Freeza'd track him if he kept on turning up to fights late and he was certain the quick trip to that planet hadn't gone unnoticed. He had to keep things quiet so as not to arouse any suspicion.

The Saiyans arrived at Freeza's chambers and were permitted entry; Dodoria and Zarbon stood either side of their master like faithful lapdogs, both with smug and judgemental looks upon their faces. Despite wanting to rip off the arrogant looks upon their faces, Vegeta digressed and bowed politely down to his boss who still had his back to them. Nappa and Raditz bowed down behind their prince not making eye contact with any of the men in the room.

"Greetings Lord Freeza," Vegeta spoke out, "We have returned from the planet Shikk. Everything was done as you desired; they pledged loyalty to your empire after three short days."

Freeza did not turn in his hovering seat even after Vegeta'd finished. "Oh?" Was all the Saiyans received though there was more. "I'm surprised it took so long."

Vegeta could see the looks of amusement on both Dodoria and Zarbon's faces and could feel the anger rising up within him. He could not attack, not now. He needed to be patient and let it all go; they would do all they could to belittle the Saiyan race but soon they would come to regret their actions. Vegeta promised eventually he would be the one to personally end all of their lives and show the universe the power of the Saiyan race.

"... Very well then, you may leave," Freeza's voice came from behind his chair, still he did not turn around for them.

The frustration was getting to Vegeta though it was Nappa who snapped.

"Is that all you have to say to us?" The tall, brash Saiyan demanded rising to his feet. Vegeta glanced back over his shoulder, a small hit of adrenaline striking him. If Nappa went too far that would leave two surviving Saiyans left instead of three. The tallest of the trio had always had trouble with controlling his hot-headedness and aggression. The act had caught both Dodoria and Zarbon's attention as both warriors took a step towards the Saiyans. This wasn't good, the last thing Vegeta needed was a hostile environment.

"We just took out an entire race of people in three days and all you have to say is you may leave?" Nappa snarled.

"... Tell me Zarbon," Freeza spoke with his usual tone, indifferent to the Saiyan's challenge, "How long do you think it'd take you to conquer a planet like Shikk?"

"Well I imagine one full day would be enough," Zarbon replied with a hint of smugness lacing his voice.

"Really, a whole day? It really is a small planet." Freeza repeated in amusement.

His blood was starting to boil. Vegeta stayed put and kept his anger at bay despite the taunting laughter now coming from the other side of the room. Zarbon had a history for mocking the Saiyans and belittling their work. He and Vegeta did not get on well at all but nevertheless lived together because of Freeza. If it wasn't for Freeza taking a liking to him, Vegeta knew that Zarbon would have insisted he be left out of the picture. He had to stay calm and ignore them, he would unleash his frustration when the time was right, ideally when he was squeezing the life out of Zarbon as the pretty-boy warrior begged for his life.

Both Raditz and Nappa were on their feet, stuck to the floor despite their frustration. They said nothing.

"Is there anything else you'd like to report to me?" Freeza asked. "You do understand that I have more significant matters to attend to?"

There it was, another jab to disparage them. Vegeta once again had to let it slide but Nappa was not able to do this, instead the Saiyan went to lunge forward.

"Nappa!" Vegeta bellowed. Instantly Nappa came to a halt, frozen to the spot. Vegeta rose to his feet, "Please excuse us Lord Freeza." He made a quick glance to Raditz then Nappa before turning on his heels and heading for the door. There was nothing more to say and he wasn't sure how much more he could endure before he too charged at the trio. It would be a move that would cost him dearly.

"What more can you expect from a monkey?" Zarbon jeered.

Vegeta felt his entire body rear up in preparation to attack, stopping on the spot for a brief moment before composing himself and continuing to stride from the room. He had to get a grip on his frustration for now. Zarbon would soon come to regret his insults but for now Vegeta had to drop it and leave it. His two subordinates followed him, both just as frustrated as he was as the trio left the room and eventually the building, heading over to another part of the area. The cool air was well-needed as it brushed past his face and through his hair, helping him to cool down. Nappa wasn't finding this so easy.

"I hate this!" The Saiyan snarled still fuming. "I've been hearing talk about how our home planet was destroyed! At first I didn't believe it but now they're saying it really didn't collide with another planet or asteroid or whatever it was!" He noticed Vegeta didn't seem to be paying too much attention to him.

"What?" Raditz asked intrigued and still reeling from the lack of thanks they'd received.

"They're saying Freeza did it!" Nappa replied.

"Freeza?" Raditz gasped in shock. Just hearing the name always sent shivers down his spine.

"They say he planned all of it!" Nappa continued. "Vegeta, does this not make you angry? He killed the King and deliberately did it at a time so you would not be on the planet!"

Vegeta stopped and closed his eyes. The frustration was still present but the rumours his second-in-command was now revealing was all starting to make sense. Still what did any of it matter? The past was the past! Vegeta turned and glared at the tall Saiyan, "So what?"

"What? Vegeta, this is the king we're talking about; our home planet; our entire race but us all wiped out!" Nappa cried baffled. "Freeza planned it all! He wanted to destroy our race! He lied to us! How can you stand to obey Freeza after all that he's done?"

"None of it matters," Vegeta responded. "I don't care if he killed my father, I don't care that he destroyed our home planet and that we are three of the last Saiyans alive. None of that matters to me. What matters is taking down Freeza, growing strong enough to overthrow him and show the universe that the Saiyans are the mightiest warriors in existence! You think I hadn't worked out that Freeza had something to do with it all? He's been keeping tabs on our assignments for years, deliberately giving up ones which will prove to be little to no challenge! He's deliberately controlling just how powerful we can become! Strength is the only thing that matters in this world if we are to break free from his reign. Everything else is just a delusion for the weak! A strong man stand above all others and conquers all; that being can only be a Saiyan! Mark my words, one day I will be the one to destroy Freeza! If I fail then it's only right that another Saiyan of royal bloodline should take down Freeza and avenge us all."

"A-Another Saiyan... of..." Raditz stammered.

"B-But Vegeta, surely you're the only one left?" Nappa asked.

"... That we know of..." Vegeta murmured as one individual sprung to mind, not that he would be of any use whatsoever. "No, there may well be another. One who can possibly do what I may fail to do. What did you think I was up to when I detoured from Planet Paeri over a year ago?"

"Then..." Raditz cottoned onto what his prince was suggesting. "... I see..."

"I wasn't sightseeing amongst the backwaters of the galaxy, I was hatching a plan to make sure that Freeza meets his match at the hands of a Saiyan," Vegeta snorted. "If I am to fall then no one but a Saiyan of royal blood has the chance to even comprehend matching Freeza's strength. I know right now I can't beat Freeza, I know how strong he is! The more a Saiyan fights, the stronger he becomes. With each fight I endure, I'll get stronger and stronger! Freeza thinks he has control over the strength we'll all gain but he underestimates us. He doesn't realise the true potential of the Saiyan race and I shall be the one to achieve this potential! One day I'll defeat Freeza and I will rule the universe, exactly the way I was meant to..."

The confidence was once more returning to him as he spoke the words, Vegeta could tell that one day he would indeed surpass Freeza though he still had a long way to go. His words had left the other two Saiyans awestruck and inspired. With that he led them into another area of the building, passing straight through to the living quarters. None dared to speak anymore of the conversation they'd just had; the walls were famous for having ears here and there lay many back-stabbing individuals. A wise soldier would keep his thoughts to himself unless absolutely certain he was alone.

Vegeta left the others and retired to his own living space, feeling the need to rest up for the brief time he'd be stationed back on this base before being sent off for his next assignment. One day when the time was right, he would need to return back to the planet he'd visited just to confirm his plan had worked and then inform the half-Saiyan brat of their destiny if he were to fall.

The Saiyans would not be defeated and would not die out by Freeza's hand. The tyrant would die by one of their kind's hands; by his hands.

With that in mind the Saiyan closed his eyes and returned to dreams of defeating the monster that'd held him in bondage for all his life.

Soon...


End file.
